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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 47(6)

A community of practice to address system-based issues and promote clinical leadership among trainee medical officers in a large public health service: an evaluation of a trainee-led forum

Samuel M. Koopowitz https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1882-5987 A * , Matthew Arnold https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9510-0948 B , Joshua M. Inglis https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0486-9013 A B C D , Kay Hon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8661-776X A B , Andrew Vanlint https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5862-8445 A B C E , Leslie F. Koopowitz B and Gerry O’Callaghan A B F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Royal Adelaide Hospital, Port Road, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

B Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

C College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

D Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

E Medical Services Division, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

F University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

* Correspondence to: samuel.koopowitz@gmail.com

Australian Health Review 47(6) 667-670 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH23182
Submitted: 11 May 2022  Accepted: 8 October 2023  Published: 30 October 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of AHHA.

Abstract

Clinical leadership is necessary to improve the performance of large public hospitals. Trainee medical officers (TMOs) are important stakeholders in organisation-wide initiatives that affect the medical workforce and support clinician engagement. This case study describes the development of a representative body known as the ‘TMO Forum’ within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network as a mechanism to promote engagement between medical trainees and the hospital executive to facilitate escalation and discussion of system-based issues. Over the past 8 years, this group has evolved into a community of practice with steady and sustained growth since inception. Trainees have fostered relationships with the executive, and have engaged in leadership and quality improvement initiatives. Here we explore the evolution, value and barriers to success of the TMO Forum. Our discussion is supplemented with findings from anonymous online evaluation surveys of both the TMO and executive stakeholder groups. We propose that initiatives such as the described may offer reciprocal benefits to both constituent groups regarding communication, and that the development of a dedicated community of practice will enhance engagement of TMOs in health service improvement initiatives and advocacy. However, there are obstacles to overcome in order to attract a greater number of trainees and maximise the benefits from this initiative.

Keywords: clinical governance, clinical leadership, community of practice, health services management, medical workforce, patient care, professional development, quality improvement, service delivery, trainee medical officers.

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